By Douglas V. Gibbs
Brazilian jiu jitsu is a fascinating martial art to watch. Made famous by Royce Gracie in the UFC, the combat technique involves a series of moves designed for self-defense against attackers without the need to strike a blow. The moves are a coordinated combination of escape maneuvers, and offensive techniques that can lead to the opponent "tapping out" in submission. When training for jiu jitsu, one learns that for every attack there is a specific response. The response to one kind of attack, or "hold", may require a certain adjustment of the hips, or movement of the limbs. In the end, for everything the opponent can use against you, you learn a response that will enable you to escape, reposition, and go on offense.
When it comes to our rights, the first thing we must understand is that there is no such thing as "constitutional rights." No rights are granted by the Constitution, the government, or any declaration or bill of rights. Rights come from natural law, meaning that your rights belong to you because you were born, because you walk this Earth, and you breath the air. Or, as the Declaration of Independence puts it, we are "endowed by [our] Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
The declaration goes on to say "that to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers form the consent of the governed."
Your rights are God-given, and the government is there to ensure your rights remain in place.
If no government was in place, and therefore no law enforcement, either, your freedom would be greatly diminished because you would have to spend your time protecting your rights, and your property, yourself. You would not be able to go get a job, or work the fields, because you would be sitting on your front porch all day, rifle in hand, protecting your home and family against bandits. Protecting your rights would be solely your responsibility.
The Declaration of Independence goes on to say, "That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter, or abolish it."
Like the bandits, if not closely watched, government can, and will, work to betray your rights, as well.
James Madison wrote, "If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government, which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed, and in the next place oblige it to control itself."
If government was controlling itself, there would be no need for me to be writing this on our rights, in the first place.
Despite the brilliance of the Constitution, and its chains designed to restrain government, Thomas Jefferson believed there would need to be a bloody revolution every 20 years. John Adams also recognized the continuous danger of the rise of tyranny, and proclaimed that virtue was necessary to maintain liberty. He said, "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."
Ben Franklin concurred, saying, "Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters."
The government has positioned itself in a way to enable itself to take away rights it has no right to take away, and the people have been conditioned to ask the government to do it. Laws are being passed negating our rights, and they are criminalizing those that dare stand against them. Because of this intricate web of laws and court rulings they have created, our ability to protect our rights is nothing like Brazilian jiu jitsu. There is no thing to say or do to disarm those endeavoring to betray our rights. First we must change the system by legal means. If that becomes fully unsuccessful, there will then be Jefferson's bloody revolution.
This government is not our ally when it comes to our rights. While demanding we are read our Miranda Rights, to ensure we understand our rights, including due process, they are ignoring due process with drones, phone tapping, and electronic record searches. While telling us we have a right to defend ourselves, they are trying to tell us what we are allowed to defend ourselves with. While telling us we still have a right to choose in our lives, they are telling us what we must choose when it comes to health care, energy usage, and in some places, whether or not you can drink a "Big Gulp."
With your rights, and freedom, comes responsibility. We must be responsible in how we use our rights, and we must be responsible in defending those rights.
The Constitution, and our rights, are nothing more than words of ink on paper if we don't defend them.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
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